President Donald Trump will campaign Friday in Myrtle Beach for Darline Graham as she faces Rep. Ralph Norman in a closely watched Republican Senate runoff that will test the strength of Trump’s endorsement in one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump will travel to South Carolina on Friday to campaign for Darline Graham, seeking to give the first-time candidate a final boost before Tuesday’s Republican runoff for a U.S. Senate seat formerly held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Trump is scheduled to appear with Graham at an evening rally at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, placing his political influence squarely behind her bid for a full six-year term.
The campaign appearance comes only days after Graham, 62, drew attention during a debate with Rep. Ralph Norman when she acknowledged having limited knowledge of national security issues.
Asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea should be considered national security concerns for the United States, Graham responded, “I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security.”
“National security is not my thing,” she added.
The remarks produced a visible reaction from the debate audience and quickly became a focus of criticism from Norman’s supporters.
Graham later defended the answer during an interview with Fox News, presenting it as an example of her willingness to speak candidly rather than rely on conventional political language.
“I don’t speak politician. I was just honest. And I think that’s kind of a foreign concept,” Graham said.
She argued that the issues she hears about most from South Carolina voters are closer to home, including the cost of living, transgender policies, gun rights and immigration.
Graham entered the Senate after the death last month of her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died from a heart ailment. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to fill the vacancy, giving her a temporary term that expires in early January.
Before entering public office, Darline Graham specialized in services for people with disabilities and had no previous political experience.
Her brother had spent years as one of the Senate’s most prominent voices on foreign policy and national security and was a strong supporter of Trump.
Trump subsequently endorsed Darline Graham’s campaign for a full Senate term in the November midterm elections, a decision that generated resistance among some Republicans in the state who argued that the nomination should not automatically pass to the late senator’s sister.
Critics described the endorsement as an attempted “coronation” of a candidate who had never previously held elected office.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is supporting Norman, seized on Graham’s debate comments to argue that familiarity with national security cannot be transferred through a family connection.
“Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Darline Graham admits she’s not. This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate,” Haley wrote on X.
Norman, 73, enters the runoff with significantly more political experience.
A longtime real estate developer, he has served nearly a decade in the U.S. House and has established himself as a leading conservative in Congress.
Norman also ran for governor earlier this year but finished third in South Carolina’s June Republican primary.
The Senate contest attracted a crowded Republican field following Lindsey Graham’s death.
Darline Graham and Norman advanced from 10 candidates in the Aug. 11 special Republican primary. Backed by Trump, Graham finished first with 32.8% of the vote, while Norman received 24.6%.
Because Graham did not secure the majority required to win outright, the two advanced to Tuesday’s runoff.
Friday’s rally gives Trump an opportunity to try to consolidate Republican support behind Graham before that final round of voting.
The race also offers another measure of how strongly the president’s endorsement can shape a Republican primary, particularly when his preferred candidate is confronting questions about political experience.
Whoever wins Tuesday will advance to the November election against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician.
Andrews ended June with more than $4.1 million in campaign funds, giving her substantial resources heading into the general-election campaign.
The South Carolina contest will unfold as control of both chambers of Congress is at stake in November’s midterm elections.
Republicans nevertheless begin the general-election race with a significant partisan advantage in the state.
Trump won South Carolina by nearly 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, making the eventual Republican nominee the favorite to capture the Senate seat.
For Graham, the immediate challenge is surviving Tuesday’s runoff against a veteran congressman while persuading Republican voters that her limited political background is an asset rather than a liability.
Trump’s Myrtle Beach appearance will put the president directly into that argument, with his endorsement now playing a central role in determining whether Graham can turn her first-place primary finish into the Republican nomination.
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